Antelope Pictures

When you go on an African safari, one thing is certain: antelope pictures opportunities will present themselves daily. Which species you'll see and photograph depends on where you go exactly.

In South Africa's Kruger National Park, it is impala that appear around each bend. In Namibia's Etosha National Park it is springbok. In Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Masai Mara National Parks, the wildebeest is known for their annual migration when these antelope trek across the savannah in their masses in search of greener pastures.

For example, klipspringers live around rocky outcrops (as their name - translated directly from Afrikaans it means "rock jumpers" - indicates). Duikers, bushbuck and others stick to the undergrowth of more bushy areas, making them difficult to spot and photograph.

The size of antelope varies. The largest African antelope is the eland (6'/1.8m high at the shoulder) while the dik-dik for instance is only about 13.8"/35cm at the shoulder.

A few things they all have in common, are:

• they are all herbivores;
• they have hooves;
• they have horns (in some species only the males);
• they have scent glands to mark their territories and also use it for recognising one another, sexual attraction and order within the herd;
• they have a strong sense of smell and also a very well developed sense of hearing to help them be constantly aware of possible dangers.

Different species adapt to life in different kinds of habitat.

Lechwe and waterbuck are always found in or near water while the oryx (gemsbok) live in arid areas and can derive all the moisture it needs from its food for long periods of time.

Some antelope, like the small steenbok, have short straight horns while others, like the majestic greater kudu have long (in the case of the kudu, spiralled) horns. The main purpose of antelope horns is defence against predators, but the males also use it when fighting against each other for territory.

Getting Great Antelope Pictures

The most remarkable antelope pictures are those which depict their behaviour. It can make a subject as common as the impala or wildebeest, interesting.

So for that prize winning antelope picture, try and catch an impala with an oxpecker bird busy eating ticks off its host, kudu bulls fighting or a gerenuk on its hind legs, eating leaves that no other antelope can reach for memorable safari photos.

Who can resist the beautiful large eyes of a baby antelope staring straight into the camera?

To improve your antelope pictures, get a free copy of my "Better Safari Photography" e-book where I share over 25 years of my safari wildlife photographic knowledge, experience, tips and advice.

Impala Although it is one of the species most numerous in quantity (not only among antelopes), it remains one of the most photogenic. You should have plenty opportunity to photograph the rams fighting over territory, a herd in flight or perhaps a creche...	Fast Food	Picture of Wildebeest Best known for the annual migration in the Serengeti and Masai Mara parks of East Africa. However they are widely spread across African safari countries. They have the nickname Harley Davidsons because their warning call sounds like the motorbike!	Gnu

Sable Antelope A beautiful species with a fare share of chutzpah. It's not the type to make a run at the first sign of trouble. Instead, it will defend itself with that lovely pair of horns unless it sees a way out...	Elegant Warrior	Kudu You would also pose for photos if you had such an impressive set of armour! The age of a kudu bull can be determined by the number of curves its horns have...	Beautiful Horns
Oryx (Gemsbok) A very interesting antelope - its body is a well designed machine that can handle extremely dry conditions. It has a beautiful pair of straight horns that even lions are wary of ...	Used to Dry Weather	Klipspringer If you know where to look, chances are good that you might see klipspringer on safari. You won't get a picture of one slipping on the rocks though, for their hooves were especially designed for a "hard" life...	Rock Jumper
Waterbuck A gregarious buck with a distinctive white ring on its backside which makes it quite an interesting photographic subject. Look for them near water ...	Loves Water	Eland The largest of all the African antelope...	Big Daddy
Dik-dik My, what large eyes you have! The dik-dik is definitely one of the smallest that will feature in your antelope pictures portfolio, if not the smallest. They also blend in well with their shrub land habitat, making a dik-dik picture a prized possession...	...And The Small	Springbok The ultimate safari photo of this African gazelle is one where it performs its "pronk" show by jumping and hopping around while displaying its fluffed up snow white tail ...	Energetic Performer

Antelope Pictures Related Content: (opens in a new window)

The African animals in the antelope pictures above all belong to the family Bovidae - find out more about how they are related (or not) on Wikipedia.

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